Richards Pizza in Butler County, Ohio

Basic Information:

Pizza: Richards Pizza

Number of Locations: 4, all in Butler County, OH
Location Reviewed: 20 American Way in Monroe, OH (on SR 63 just west of I-75, exit 29)
Website: https://richardspizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2025
What I Ordered: small (8") pizza with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $10 (pizza only; includes tax)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Richards Pizza is a thick, bready crust.  The texture is golden brown on the outside and chewy on the inside.  My pizza was baked to perfection.  Yum!  Score: 10/10

Sauce: This pizza has plenty of sauce, but the sauce is very overspiced.  My view is that tomato sauce should taste like tomatoes, and I could not taste the tomatoes at all.  This is not my style of sauce.  Score: 4/10

Cheese: This pizza features a thick layer of yummy cheese that I really enjoyed.  Score: 10/10

Toppings: Both toppings have a mildly seasoned Italian flavor; I was kind of expecting there to be a difference in taste between the sausage and pepperoni.  Both toppings appear with plenty of quantity. Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: The overspiced sauce dominates and therefore ruins the overall taste.  Score: 7/10

Pizza Appearance: Richards Pizza looks like a nice pan pizza, but the appearance is not dominated by the crust like so many other pan pizzas.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered carry out; they have a nice casual dining area.

Customer Service: The server behind the counter was quick and attentive at taking my order.

Monetary Value: I only ordered an 8" pizza with no drink, but the price is pretty inexpensive for a pretty good pizza.

The Final Judgment:

Richards Pizza is a time-tested staple in Butler County, where I spent my first 28 years.  But for more tomato-tasting sauce, this pizza would be a real winner.  Score: 84/100

Antonio's Pizzeria LoSciavo in Northeast Ohio

Basic Information:

Pizza: Antonio's Pizzeria LoSciavo

Number of Locations: 16, all in northeast Ohio
Location Reviewed: 4161 Heritage Center Dr. in Copley, OH (just west of I-77, exit 137B)
Website: https://antoniospizza.net/
Date of Review Visit: October 2025
What I Ordered: Half-sheet pizza with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $27.99 (pizza only)
Photo:

Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Antonio's Pizzeria LoSciavo offers several types of crusts.  I chose the square pan crust, which is the thickest crust they offer for a large pizza.  The square crust is indeed thick, but it is also fairly hard and does not have much taste, bready or otherwise.  Maybe I should have chosen a different crust.  Score: 3/10

Sauce: This pizza is somewhat undersauced, but the sauce it does have has a yummy tomatoey taste.  Score: 7/10

Cheese: Antonio's Pizzeria LoSciavo uses 100% provolone cheese.  The cheese appears in sufficient quantity and does not produce much grease.  Therefore, the cheese is excellent.  Score: 10/10

Toppings: The sausage appears in tiny tasteless ground bits; it is horrible.  The pepperoni has a slight spiced pork flavor.  Both toppings appear in average quantity.  Score: 6/10

Overall Taste: The overall taste is a little on the bland side.  This pizza also tastes quite salty, possibly due to the sausage.  Score: 6/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza looks like a robust pizza that emphasizes quantity over quality.

Dining Atmosphere: (not applicable because this location is takeout only)

Customer Service: They had some computer problems that made my ordering process glacier slow, but the service was fine otherwise.

Monetary Value: The price seems very high for this quality of pizza.

The Final Judgment:

Normally I really like thick crust pizzas, but this pizza is not normal.  I would definitely order a different crust and some different toppings if I came here again.  Score: 67/100

LaRosa's Family Pizzeria in Cincinnati, OH: Stuffed Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria

Number of Locations: about 50, mostly near Cincinnati, OH

Location Reviewed: 96 Blackburn Lane in Dry Ridge, KY (just east of I-75, exit 159)

Website: https://www.larosas.com/

Date of Review Visit: October 2025

What I Ordered: Small stuffed pizza with sausage, pepperoni, and ham; cherry Coke to drink

Price: $23.72 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Like all stuffed pizzas, LaRosa’s stuffed pizza has 2 crusts: one on top and one on bottom.  While the 2 crusts are not identical, both crusts have taken direct oven heat, and both crusts are on the hard and crispy side.  There is also the hard and crispy super thick crust around the edge of the pizza.  Finally, they sprinkle a lot of spices atop the pizza, way too many for my taste.  The spices don't directly have to do with the crust, but I needed to mention them somewhere.  Score: 6/10.

Sauce: There is no sauce in the pizza; they give it to you in small cups for spreading or dipping.  They offer several sauce options, but I chose the standard pizza sauce.  The sauce uses high quality ingredients and has just the right amount of seasoning with spices.  I really like this sauce, but I kind of wish it was in the pizza.  Score: 9/10.

Cheese: This pizza has a 4-cheese blend that makes the cheese more flavorful than their usual provolone.  There is a very small amount of grease.  Perfecto!  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage is just a little spicy and comes in nice-sized chunks.  The pepperoni is fairly average, but the ham has nice pork flavor and produces little grease.  There are plenty of "toppings" stuffed between the crusts.  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: The spices sprinkled atop the pizza combine with the spiciness of the sauce and the spiciness of the sausage to produce too much spiciness for me.  I like my food to taste like what it is, not like a bunch of spices.  Also, the outer crust is too hard and thick.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: The appearance is quite pleasing save for the super thick crust around the edge.  

Dining Atmosphere: Most LaRosa’s locations have an excellent casual dining atmosphere, and Dry Ridge is no exception.

Customer Service: I have always enjoyed the service at LaRosa's.

Monetary Value: The price is somewhat low given the quality of pizza and dining experience you get. LaRosa’s stacks up far better than its casual dining competitors in this category.

The Final Judgment:

LaRosa’s is a Cincinnati favorite, but I prefer their regular pizzas over this stuffed pizza.  The stuffed pizza has too much spiciness, plus the crust is too hard and thick.  Score: 88/100.

516 Pizza Pub in Northwest Ohio

Basic Information:

Pizza: 516 Pizza Pub
Number of Locations: 2, both in northwest Ohio
Location Reviewed: 27072 Carronade Drive in Perrysburg, OH (near Kroger at I-75 exit 193)
Website: https://www.pizzapub516.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2024
What I Ordered: large (16") pizza with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $25.50 (pizza only; includes tax)
Photos:

Summary Review:  4 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at 516 Pizza Pub is not a pan crust, but it is a thick crispy crust.  My pizza seemed slightly overbaked, and therefore the crust seemed slightly burnt.  This crust is not bad, but I've had better.  Score: 7/10

Sauce: This pizza has lots of sauce.  The sauce has a rich tomatoey taste, but it is also slightly overspiced.  Score: 8/10

Cheese: This pizza features a thick layer of yummy cheese.  The cheese does produce a decent amount of grease, so a mandatory deduction applies.  Score: 9/10

Toppings: The toppings get lost in the cheese and sauce, but this pizza still has plenty of toppings.  The pepperoni comes several slices thick and has great flavor with just a bit of spiciness.  The sausage comes in nice large chunks with not as much flavor.  Score: 10/10

Overall Taste: except for the slightly burnt taste, everything comes together well.  The overall taste prioritizes quantity over quality, and this pizza is for hearty pizza eaters only.  Score: 8.5/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has a burnt appearance due to the overbaking.  Otherwise, it looks like the thick robust pizza it is.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered to-go, but 516 Pizza Pub has a casual dining room with a full service bar in the center, a pool table near the front, and lots of TV's.  The overall atmosphere is an odd mix of bar and pizza restaurant.

Customer Service: They took my order at the bar.  The service was quick and friendly.

Monetary Value: This pizza is very expensive, even for a 16" pizza.  Therefore, the value is not the best.

The Final Judgment:

As I carried this pizza up to my hotel room, I kept thinking that this may be the heaviest pizza I have ever carried.  516 Pizza Pub is not for people who want flavorful delicacies, but it is for people who want hearty, robust, filling pizza.  Score: 80/100

Napoli's Pizza, Pasta, and Subs in Marietta, OH

Basic Information:

Pizza: Napoli's Pizza
Number of Locations: 9, mostly near Parkersburg, WV
Location Reviewed: 335 Pike Street in Marietta, OH (on SR 7 just west of I-77 exit 1)

Website: https://www.napolis.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2023
What I Ordered: small (8") pizza with pepperoni and sausage; 20 oz. Pepsi to drink.
Price: $16.32 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

The Macro:

Crust: The crust on Napoli's Pizza has a light and flaky, almost airy, texture.  The crust is quite crispy, but it is not as thin as many crusts of this type.  I don't usually like thin crusts, but I like this crust.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a nice tomatoey taste, but the pizza is slightly undersauced.  Thus, a mandatory deduction applies.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: This pizza is slightly undercheesed, but the cheese does not produce much grease.  I've had worse cheese than this.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni is standard commercial Hormel pepperoni, and the sausage comes in tiny flavorless bits.  Honestly, these toppings are terrible.  At least they appear in decent quantity.  Score: 3/10.

Overall Taste: The toppings really ruin what could be a very tasty pizza.  Unfortunately, on any pizza the toppings are one of the main taste contributors.  Score: 7/10.

Pizza Appearance: Napoli's Pizza has a very average unremarkable appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining area at their Marietta location is tiny and purely functional.

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly.

Monetary Value: For only an 8" pizza, this pizza is very overpriced relative to what you put in your mouth.

The Final Judgment:

There are elements of a tasty pizza here, but the toppings need a major upgrade and the price is unreasonable.  In Marietta, I like East of Chicago Pizza better.  Score: 69/100.

East of Chicago Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: East of Chicago Pizza
Number of Locations: around 70 locations, mostly in Ohio
Location Reviewed: 111 Pike Street in Marietta, OH (on SR 7 about 1 mile west of I-77 exit 1)

Website: https://www.eastofchicago.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2023
What I Ordered: medium (12") Authentic Chicago Style pizza with pepperoni and sausage; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $22.69 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: East of Chicago Pizza offers several crust styles, but I chose the Authentic Chicago Style pizza.  As advertised, this crust is a true Chicago style crust similar to Uno's or Lou Malnati's.  This crust is thick and crispy but soft enough you can cut it with a fork.  It's a great crust.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: Also true to the Chicago style, this pizza has a thick layer of sauce.  The sauce has a nice tomatoey taste, but you can also taste and find bits of other things in the sauce.  I don't like finding bits of anything in my sauce, so a small deduction applies.  Score: 9/10.

Cheese: The cheese comes in a nice thick layer on top of the crust but below the sauce and toppings. Again, this is true Chicago style.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: I had a hard time finding the toppings amidst all of the sauce, so maybe the toppings are too sparse.  Both toppings taste OK, but I have had fresher-tasting sausage and pepperoni elsewhere.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: The sauce dominates the taste buds, and not just with tomato taste.  I would have liked to have tasted the toppings more.  Score: 8.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: East of Chicago Pizza has an almost perfect appearance for a Chicago style pizza, i.e. it is dominated by the sauce and crust.

Dining Atmosphere: Their Marietta location has a nice casual dining atmosphere with a couple of TVs for entertainment.

Customer Service: The service was friendly, helpful, and prompt.

Monetary Value: East of Chicago does not make cheap pizza, but I've paid a lot more for similar pizzas elsewhere.  Thus, the value is better than you might think.

The Final Judgment:

Chicago style pizzas are typically my favorite kind of pizzas, and East of Chicago delivers what the name promises.  If I still lived in Ohio, I would head to East of Chicago (and not Lake Michigan) regularly.  Score: 90/100.

LaRosa's Pizzeria in Cincinnati, OH: Montgomery Inn Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: LaRosa's Pizzeria
Number of Locations: around 60, mostly near Cincinnati, OH
Website: https://www.larosas.com/
Location: 3291 Heritage Green Drive in Monroe, OH (near SR 63, in the same strip mall as Kroger)
Date of Review Visit: October 2023
What I Ordered: small (8") pan Montgomery Inn Pizza with pulled pork, 20 oz. Cherry Coke to drink
Price: $11.75 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

The Macro:

Crust: LaRosa’s offers three choices for crust: thin, super crust, and pan.  On this visit, I chose my usual choice: the pan crust, the thickest of the three options.  The pan crust has perfect thickness; it has the crunchy outside but chewy inside texture that makes for a good thick crust.  The pizza is well-baked, and the bottom of the crust has that special LaRosa’s taste that I still have not quite figured out.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce on this pizza is Montgomery Inn's standard barbecue sauce.  Although it is a tomato-based barbecue sauce, it is very sweet, sweeter than any tomato sauce I have ever tasted.  I like this sauce on ribs more than I like it on a pizza.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The pizza is well-cheesed, and LaRosa’s uses only high quality provolone cheese, the perfect pizza cheese.  Hence, there is a very small amount of grease.  Perfecto!  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The pulled pork is very tender and has a fresh pork flavor.  The pork comes in large chunks, and therefore it tends to be concentrated on some parts of the pizza and scarce on others.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: The sauce makes the overall taste of this pizza too sweet, a statement I have rarely made in this pizza blog because I usually like sweet tastes.  Eating this pizza is more like eating cheese covered pork on bread than eating a traditional pizza.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The concentrations of the pork give the pizza an unbalanced appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The Monroe location has no dining room, although many of LaRosa's locations have nice casual dining rooms.

Customer Service: I have always enjoyed the service at LaRosa's.

Value: The price is somewhat low given the quality of pizza and dining experience you get.  LaRosa’s stacks up far better than its casual dining competitors in this category.

The Final Judgment:

LaRosa's and Montgomery Inn are both Cincinnati legends, and I make sure to eat at both every time I go to Cincinnati.  But I prefer them separately rather than this combination, and I prefer LaRosa's double sausage pizza to this pizza.  Score: 88/100.

Chester's Pizzeria in Hamilton, OH

Basic Information:

Pizza: Chester’s Pizzeria

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 2929 Dixie Highway in Hamilton, OH (at the corner of SR 4 and Bobmeyer Rd.)

Website: https://www.facebook.com/p/Chesters-Pizza-100063781013445/

Date of Review Visit: June 2019

What I Ordered: small (8”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni

Price: $8 (includes tax but not drink)

Photos:

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust on Chester’s pizza is not the thickest crust I have eaten, but I still classify it as a thick crust.  The crust has great texture: gold and crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside.  The blackened cheese on the edge provides fantastic flavor.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza has plenty of sauce.  The sauce has a nice thick texture and a great tomatoey taste.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of cheese.  The cheese tastes like some nice fresh provolone, but it leaves slightly more grease than I would prefer.  Score: 9/10.

Toppings: Both toppings appear in satisfactory quantity, but neither the pepperoni nor the sausage has a lot of flavor.  Score: 6/10.

Overall Taste: The cheese and sauce combine to give this pizza a fabulously rich taste.  No matter what toppings you order, you will get a flavorful pizza.  Score: 9.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks like yummy pizza with plenty of cheese and sauce.

Dining Atmosphere: (not applicable: Chester's is carryout only.)

Customer Service: The service was friendly and prompt.

Monetary Value: Rarely do you see pizza this good for this cheap.  Only the fact that this is an 8” pizza as opposed to a 10” pizza prevents a perfect score.

The Final Judgment:

I was born in Hamilton, OH, and my birth-town’s signature pizza comes through with flying colors.  Miss Chester’s at your own peril.  Score: 93/100.

Cassano's Pizza near Dayton, OH

Basic Information:

Pizza: Cassano’s Pizza

Number of Locations: 33, all near Dayton, OH

Location: 588 W. Main Street in New Lebanon, OH (on US 35 near Family Dollar)

Website: https://www.cassanos.com/

Date of Review Visit: June 2015

What I Ordered: Small (9”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $9.51 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Cassano’s Pizza features a crispy thin crust.  The crust is similar to Donatos in style, but no cornmeal is baked into the crust for texture.  Like Donatos, the crust is loaded edge-to-edge with toppings and other good stuff.  My pizza was slightly overbaked but only slightly.  Overall, this crust does a solid job of what it is supposed to do, and for that it deserves good marks.  Score: 7/10.

Sauce: This pizza has almost no sauce, and therefore it is very under-sauced.  I could not even get a pinch of the sauce on my tongue to determine what it tastes like.  How do you rate something you can’t taste?  I’ll pretend I tasted a little and score it….  Score: 3/10.

Cheese: The cheese is applied with good quantity, but it produces too much grease to be good quality cheese.  They do give you the option of sprinkling on some parmesan for more flavor.  Score: 7/10.

Toppings: The quality of the toppings is a mixed bag.  The pepperoni comes in thin crunchy slices that are nothing to brag about.  The finely ground sausage is more appealing; it has a lot of fat but also some flavor.  Both toppings appear in good quantity.  Score: 6/10.

Overall Taste: Everything comes together pretty well.  The high amount of grease is the only real turn-off.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza’s appearance is tidy but hurt by the overbaking.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room atmosphere is purely functional.  The room features some very bad ceiling tiles that show heavy evidence of roof leaks.  On my visit the TV was tuned to a bad movie, so bad that I turned my back to the TV to prevent myself from watching it.

Customer Service: The service was prompt and helpful.

Value: The price is low, but this metric is value, not price.  Cassano’s small pizza only measures 9 inches, and the quality is not great.  Therefore, this pizza performs well on this metric but not as well as you might think.

The Final Judgment:

Somewhat of a Donatos want-to-be, Cassano’s is not bad for a change of pace, but it probably will not top your list.  There are better pizza options in this area (see LaRosa’s or Donatos, for example).  Score: 72/100.

SDS Pizza and Subs in Oxford, OH

Basic Information:

Pizza: SDS Pizza and Subs

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 7 E. Chestnut Street in Oxford, OH

Website: https://www.sdspizza.com/

Date of Review Visit: June 2013

What I Ordered: Small Chicago-style pizza with sausage

Price: $12.58 (includes tax but not drink)

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: For once a pizza actually lives up to its name: the crust is at least 2 inches thick around the edge, just as it should be for a Chicago-style pizza.  The texture of the crust is quite good, namely crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  The size and texture make up for the lack of flavor in the dough and the slight underbaking of the pizza.  The fact that I was sitting and waiting on the pizza might have led to the underbaking as well.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: SDS uses its own “special” sauce, but I can’t say I particularly like it.  On the bright side, the sauce has a nice fresh taste and bright red color.  On the down side, there are almost no spices, and the sauce contains chunks of tomatoes.  There is nothing I hate more in a pizza sauce than chunks of tomatoes (except maybe too much garlic).  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: This pizza has so much cheese that it falls off the pizza when you pick up a slice.  I always end up with a glob of cheese and toppings sitting in the box when I am done eating.  The quality and taste of the cheese are quite good too.  What’s not to like?  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage comes in huge chunks, as it should on a Chicago-style pizza.  Also, the sausage has good flavor without tasting overspiced.  The quantity of toppings is decent given the size of the pizza.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: The taste is very good save for the chunks in the sauce and the underbaked crust.  Score: 8.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza has pleasing and robust appearance except for the too-white underbaked crust.  

Dining Atmosphere: (not applicable; no dining room)

Customer Service: The service is purely functional and nothing more.

Monetary Value: The price here is rather steep, but the quality is pretty good.  The quality/price ratio grades out above average here, but only above average.

The Final Judgment:

As a Miami student, SDS was my favorite pizza.  I still eat SDS every time I find myself in Oxford these days.  Give this one a try and see if it meets your taste palette too.  Score: 85/100.

LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria near Cincinnati, OH

Basic Information:

Pizza: LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria

Number of Locations: about 50, mostly near Cincinnati, OH

Location Reviewed: 5130 Camelot Drive in Fairfield, OH

Website: https://www.larosas.com/

Date of Review Visit: October 2022

What I Ordered: Large pan pizza (14”) with extra sausage and extra cheese, cherry Coke to drink

Price: $23.32 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Disclaimer:

LaRosa’s Pizza is my first love among pizzas.  It is the pizza that got my entire pizza passion started.  Having grown up in Cincinnati, I still remember the special occasions that always involved my family getting a LaRosa’s Pizza.  I tried to be objective with this pizza review, but you can imagine how that went.

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: LaRosa’s offers three choices for crust: thin, super crust, and pan.  On this visit, I chose the pan crust, the thickest of the three options.  The pan crust was perfect thickness; it has the crunchy outside but chewy inside texture that makes for a good thick crust.  The pizza was well-baked, and the bottom of crust had that special LaRosa’s taste that I still have not quite figured out.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: LaRosa’s sells its pizza sauce separately, and for good reason: it is a fantastic sauce.  The sauce uses high quality ingredients and has just the right amount of seasoning with spices.  I really like it.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: The pizza is well-cheesed, and LaRosa’s uses only high quality provolone cheese, the perfect pizza cheese.  Hence, there is a very small amount of grease.  Perfecto!  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage is high quality, but unfortunately the pizza lacks somewhat in quantity unless you order the double sausage as I did.  This potential for skimping leads to a deduction here.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: As you might expect given the above, the taste is fantastic.  I almost never give perfect scores in taste (just what does a perfect tasting pizza taste like anyhow?), but for my first love in pizzas....  Score: 10/10.

Pizza Appearance: The appearance is quite pleasing save for the low amount of sausage.  

Dining Atmosphere: LaRosa’s has a casual dining atmosphere, but some of their newer locations are carry out only.

Customer Service: I have always enjoyed the service at LaRosa's.

Monetary Value: The price is somewhat low given the quality of pizza and dining experience you get. LaRosa’s stacks up far better than its casual dining competitors in this category.

The Final Judgment:

LaRosa’s is a Cincinnati favorite, and it remains my favorite pizza even though I have not lived in Ohio since 2005.  If you find yourself in Cincinnati, stop by LaRosa’s so that it can become your favorite too.  Score: 94/100.